267:, which he co-founded with Chris Torrance and Grahame Mckenzie. This new technology is now being widely applied in collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies. Venkitaraman's laboratory has also devised new approaches to target cellular pathways initiated by enzymes like protein kinases. For example, they have selectively interrupted intracellular signaling by blocking the molecular recognition of protein phosphorylation using small-molecule chemical tools, now being pursued by industry for anti-cancer therapy. He has worked extensively with UK industry to develop new medicines. Having served for many years on the scientific advisory boards of companies such as Astex Therapeutics and Cambridge Antibody Technology/MedImmune, he currently holds appointments with Sentinel Oncology and PhoreMost.
255:
of the RAD51 recombination enzyme on its DNA substrates, and revealed the structural mechanism underlying this process. He subsequently discovered that BRCA2 is vital to prevent DNA breakage when genome replication becomes blocked or stalled, helping to explain why BRCA2-deficient cells spontaneously exhibit genome instability during cell division, and why BRCA2-deficient cancers become highly sensitive to drugs that block genome replication by causing DNA cross-links or gaps. These discoveries have laid a scientific foundation for the development of new treatments for cancers arising in patients who carry BRCA2 mutations, and also provided a conceptual framework for understanding other human genetic diseases in which genome instability is connected with predisposition to cancer.
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49:
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and related proteins cause genome instability to trigger carcinogenesis. His work has helped to explain why carriers of BRCA2 mutations develop cancer, and has provided the scientific foundations for new cancer therapies by illuminating fundamental cellular mechanisms that control genome repair, duplication and segregation.
254:
Venkitaraman was amongst the first to discover that the breast cancer gene, BRCA2, is essential to maintain the integrity of the genome when cells divide. He and his colleagues soon uncovered that BRCA2 enables cells to repair DNA breakage in an error-free manner by precisely controlling the assembly
250:
Venkitaraman is widely recognised for his contributions to understanding the genetics and biology of human cancer, particularly in elucidating the impact of genome instability on carcinogenesis and cancer therapy. He is best known for discovering how mutations affecting the breast cancer gene, BRCA2,
270:
Venkitaraman has worked for many years to promote biomedical research in India. He leads a collaborative research initiative with the
National Center for Biological Sciences and inStem in Bangalore, in which new technology is being applied to help develop drugs against cancer and other diseases. He
258:
Venkitaraman's research continues to unveil new ways in which BRCA2 and related genes work to preserve genome integrity, and to explain how patients who carry BRCA2 mutations become more susceptible to early-onset cancers. He and his colleagues have recently discovered that cells carrying a single
861:
Narvaez, A. J.; Ber, S.; Crooks, A.; Emery, A.; Hardwick, B.; Guarino
Almeida, E.; Huggins, D. J.; Perera, D.; Roberts-Thomson, M.; Azzarelli, R.; Hood, F. E.; Prior, I. A.; Walker, D. W.; Boyce, R.; Boyle, R. G.; Barker, S. P.; Torrance, C. J.; McKenzie, G. J.; Venkitaraman, A. R. (August 2017).
230:
in 2006, and its
Director in 2010. During his directorship, he developed a distinctive scientific mission for the MRC Cancer Unit focused on early intervention in cancer, through research that advances understanding of early steps in carcinogenesis, and utilizes this new knowledge for the early
262:
Venkitaraman has developed technologies that help to identify and validate new targets for next-generation medicines against cancer and other diseases. Work in his laboratory laid the scientific foundations for the development of “protein interference” at
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copy of mutant BRCA2 become more susceptible to the mutagenic effects of aldehydes, a class of chemicals found pervasively in the environment and generated in cells through metabolic reactions.
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Patel, K. J.; Yu, V. P. C. C.; Lee, H.; Corcoran, A.; Thistlethwaite, F. C.; Evans, M. J.; Colledge, W. H.; Friedman, L. S.; Ponder, B. A. J.; Venkitaraman, A. R. (February 1998).
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has established an initiative for biological systems engineering at the Indian
Institute of Technology-Madras, where he holds the Mehta Foundation Visiting Professorship.
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Tan, S. L. W.; Chadha, S.; Liu, Y.; Gabasova, E.; Perera, D.; Ahmed, K.; Constantinou, S.; Renaudin, X.; Lee, M.; Aebersold, R.; Venkitaraman, A. R. (June 2017).
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In 2020, Venkitaraman took up joint appointments as the
Director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the
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researcher of Indian origin. He is the
Director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the
607:"The BRC repeats of human BRCA2 differentially regulate RAD51 binding on single- versus double-stranded DNA to stimulate strand exchange"
981:
125:
605:
Shivji, M. K. K.; Mukund, S. R.; Rajendra, E.; Chen, S.; Short, J. M.; Savill, J.; Klenerman, D.; Venkitaraman, A. R. (23 July 2009).
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37:
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169:
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176:, Singapore. From 1998 to 2020, he was the inaugural holder of the Ursula Zoellner Professorship of Cancer Research at the
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in
Cambridge, before becoming a member of its research faculty in 1991. In 1998, he was elected as the first holder of the
664:
Short, J. M.; Liu, Y.; Chen, S.; Soni, N.; Madhusudhan, M. S.; Shivji, M. K. K.; Venkitaraman, A. R. (5 September 2016).
948:"Penn's Basser Center for BRCA Names Cambridge Cancer Researcher Ashok Venkitaraman Winner of 2017 Basser Global Prize"
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181:
417:
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Venkitaraman, Ashok (1989). "The regulation of MHC class 2 gene expression by tumours of the B lymphocyte lineage"
666:"High-resolution structure of the presynaptic RAD51 filament on single-stranded DNA by electron cryo-microscopy"
337:
826:"PhoreMost and Boehringer Ingelheim enter multi-project drug discovery collaboration - Drug Discovery Today"
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320:
966:
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Venkitaraman, A. R. (27 March 2014). "Cancer
Suppression by the Chromosome Custodians, BRCA1 and BRCA2".
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764:"A Class of Environmental and Endogenous Toxins Induces BRCA2 Haploinsufficiency and Genome Instability"
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321:"Prominent cancer researcher Ashok Venkitaraman to head Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at NUS"
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715:"Stabilization of stalled DNA replication forks by the BRCA2 breast cancer susceptibility protein"
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864:"Modulating Protein-Protein Interactions of the Mitotic Polo-like Kinases to Target Mutant KRAS"
844:"Otsuka enters multi-project drug discovery collaboration with PhoreMost Limited｜News Releases"
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Lomonosov, M.; Anand, S.; Sangrithi, M.; Davies, R.; Venkitaraman, A. R. (15 December 2003).
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930:"Breakthrough medical research collaboration receives Indian government funding boost"
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296:, awarded for research excellence and outstanding achievements in the life sciences.
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The regulation of MHC class 2 gene expression by tumours of the B lymphocyte lineage
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200:, India, before earning his PhD at University College London supervised by
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in recognition of his discoveries concerning the breast cancer gene BRCA2.
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912:"Department of Biotechnology, Cambridge varsity in research venture"
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Medical
Research Council (MRC) Cancer Unit University of Cambridge
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detection of cancer, and improvements in therapy or prevention.
592:"The Fight Against Cancer - University of Cambridge news story"
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https://www.mrc-cu.cam.ac.uk/research/ashok-venkitaraman-folder
438:"Cancer Susceptibility and the Functions of BRCA1 and BRCA2"
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Fellows of the
Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom)
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286:, one of the four national academies of the United Kingdom.
387:"Fellows and College Officers, Pembroke College Cambridge"
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Immunology, Oncology, Molecular biology, Chemical biology
338:"MRC Cancer Unit Professor Ashok Venkitaraman biography"
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Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization
418:"University of Cambridge Reporter University Officers"
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280:In 2001, Venkitaraman was elected a Fellow of the
196:Venkitaraman learnt and practiced medicine at the
120:National University of Singapore A*STAR Singapore
91:https://www.csi.nus.edu.sg/web/ashok-venkitaraman/
184:, and from 2006 to 2019, was the Director of the
611:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
812:"Cambridge University Enterprise announcement"
355:"Venkitaraman, Prof. Ashok. UK WHOS WHO. 2017"
293:European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
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400:Venkitaraman, Ashok Ramakrishnan (1989).
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289:In 2004, he was elected a Member of the
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226:in 2000, becoming its co-director with
987:Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge
118:Cancer Science Institute of Singapore
299:Venkitaraman was awarded in 2017 the
7:
552:"Involvement of Brca2 in DNA Repair"
436:Venkitaraman, A. R. (January 2002).
186:Medical Research Council Cancer Unit
214:MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
126:MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
363:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.41050
198:Christian Medical College, Vellore
14:
38:Christian Medical College Vellore
236:National University of Singapore
170:National University of Singapore
72:Basser Global Prize (2017)
977:21st-century British biologists
972:20th-century British biologists
880:10.1016/j.chembiol.2017.07.009
848:Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd
1:
569:10.1016/s1097-2765(00)80035-0
455:10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00615-3
218:Ursula Zoellner Professorship
283:Academy of Medical Sciences
204:. He was awarded in 1988 a
182:Pembroke College, Cambridge
180:, a Professorial Fellow at
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982:British cancer researchers
830:www.drugdiscoverytoday.com
780:10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.010
238:, and Program Director at
172:, and Program Director at
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16:British cancer researcher
222:Venkitaraman joined the
206:Beit Memorial Fellowship
934:University of Cambridge
719:Genes & Development
632:10.1073/pnas.0906208106
516:10.1126/science.1252230
178:University of Cambridge
670:Nucleic Acids Research
868:Cell Chemical Biology
918:. 14 September 2012.
774:(6): 1105–1118.e15.
43:University of London
874:(8): 1017–1028.e7.
623:2009PNAS..10613254S
617:(32): 13254–13259.
508:2014Sci...343.1470V
502:(6178): 1470–1475.
301:Basser Global Prize
731:10.1101/gad.279003
682:10.1093/nar/gkw783
275:Awards and honours
162:Ashok Venkitaraman
25:Ashok Venkitaraman
936:. 5 October 2012.
676:(19): 9017–9030.
372:978-0-19-954088-4
210:Michael Neuberger
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228:Ron Laskey
532:206556058
265:PhoreMost
192:Biography
898:28807782
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700:27596592
651:19628690
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246:Research
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